


They Don't Teach This at Sunday School

by flyy0ufools



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Based on a TV show, Bottom Jared, Comedy of Errors, Happy Ending, M/M, Mpreg, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strangers to Lovers, Top Jensen, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24231097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyy0ufools/pseuds/flyy0ufools
Summary: Jared was pregnant, but he'd never had sex. Jensen was a soon-to-be-father, but he'd been declared infertile almost two years ago. This was like a really bad soap opera plot line reject. All that was left was unlikely declarations of love and surprise murders.J2 AU based on the tv showJane the Virgin.
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 9
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to [GreenQueen86](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenQueen86) for this Jane the Virgin AU idea and for also being my wonderful sounding board.

Jared was exhausted and beyond ready for the weekend, but unfortunately it was still only Tuesday. He wasn’t sure why the universe decided that four of his six finals would all occur within 24 hours of each other, but apparently the universe sucked. Sometimes. At least he was able to get the week off from his internship—which he loved, but he was still more than grateful for the extra study time. Or in this afternoon’s case, extra time to go to see the doctor.

It was a standard gynecologist visit, an awkward necessity if he wanted to get birth control. So what if he was a virgin? He would be graduating with his master’s degree in architecture next week, and in two months he’d be turning 25 years old. He was hoping that his virginity-having days would be a thing of the past sooner rather than later, and he wanted to be fully prepared.

He made it to the clinic twenty minutes from his house without doing anything unfortunate like falling asleep at the wheel. Holy shit, he was _so tired_. He’d chosen this clinic specifically because it specialized in both male and female gynecology, as well as a few other family-planning things, including its very own sperm and egg bank. Jared hoped that a wide variety of clientele would make him less likely to stand out.

His wait was less than ten minutes, and the nurse that led him back towards the patient rooms took his vitals and weight quickly and efficiently before leading him into a room at the far end of the hall.

“The doctor should be in within the next few minutes,” she informed Jared. “You’re welcome to leave your shirt on, but everything below the waist has to come off.” She handed him a sheet and a front-tie gown before backing out of the room and shutting the door. Jared sighed, not looking forward to having a stranger all up in… _there_ , but knew that was the whole point of him being there. So he sucked it up, pushed back his preemptive embarrassment, and undressed and hopped up onto the patient bed.

He didn’t have to wait long until a knock on the door jerked him from the light doze he’d fallen into. “Come in,” he called, and the door opened as the oldest man Jared had ever seen in real life stepped into the room.

“Hello, Mr…” the doctor paused.

“Padalecki,” Jared filled in for him. “Please, call me Jared.”

“Yes, hello, Jared. I’m Dr. Schultz. How are you today?”

“Uh, good. Tired,” Jared said with a shrug.

“Well, let’s get started so you can get out of here, okay?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

The doctor set a few things Jared couldn’t discern on the desk before making his way over to the bed and pulling out the retractable stirrups. Jared’s face heated up.

“Scoot on down and put your feet up here, please,” the doctor said. Jared complied, tightly gripping the sheet covering his lower half as he wiggled awkwardly on the bed. “Just try to relax, and this’ll be over in no time.”

“Yeah.” Jared didn’t think he could relax, but as the doctor washed his hands and gathered a few items together, Jared found himself already struggling to keep his eyes open. He opened his mouth to apologize in advance, but was asleep before he could get out a single word.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Over the next few weeks, Jared was just as busy and tired as he’d been during finals week, but a bone-deep thrum of contentment made it all worthwhile. There was graduation to attend, parties to enjoy, and his internship to finish up, as well as a few last-minute job applications to finalize. He already had two offers, but he wanted to make sure he wasn’t jumping the gun on them just because they’d come in first.

So he’d been busy and having a good time and had kind of forgotten the whole reason he’d gone to the doctor’s in the first place until he got a text from his pharmacy reminding him he had a prescription waiting to be picked up.

Jared shared an apartment with his older brother, Matt, who’d been giving him rides the last two days while Jared’s car was in the shop getting its brakes replaced. But it was just after noon on a Thursday and Matt was at work, so Jared had to take the bus to the pharmacy. He could have waited until after Matt got home from work, but he figured it would be much less busy in the middle of a weekday, so he could get in and out in hopefully a few minutes.

At least, until the pharmacist brought said prescription to the counter for Jared to pay. Jared opened the small paper bag and glanced inside before doing a double take and dumping the bottle of pills out.

“Hang on, um. Sorry, but I think there might be a mix up?” Jared held up the pill bottle that read PRE-NATAL VITAMINS in big purple letters. “My prescription was for _birth control_.”

“Okay, let me double check,” the pharmacist said, the keyboard clacking loudly as she typed. Jared flicked his eyes around, hoping nobody was paying attention to them. So maybe he didn’t always handle potentially-embarrassing situations very well. Sue him. “Jared Padalecki, prescription sent electronically by a Dr. Schultz at Saint Luke’s Clinic on Tuesday, May 3rd. Prenatal vitamins.”

“That…can’t be right,” Jared said dumbly.

“I’m sorry,” the pharmacist said, “if there’s an error it looks like it’s on their end. You’ll have to contact them directly.”

Jared huffed out a breath but flashed the pharmacist a quick smile. It wasn’t her fault the doctor had screwed up. “All right. Thanks. Um, I don’t really need these so…” he said awkwardly as he handed her back the vitamins.

“Sorry about that,” she said, offering a sympathetic smile as Jared shrugged and turned away.

He left the pharmacy, pausing outside on the sidewalk. He’d wanted to run a few other quick errands while he was already out, but he was starting to feel like a nap might be in order instead. He debated for a moment going back inside to grab some cold medicine, as he had a feeling that he might be getting sick. Even with all the drinking he’d been doing with his friends the last few weeks to celebrate graduating, he was feeling way more worn down that he usually did.

But the siren song of his bed was too strong to resist. Plus, the bus was scheduled to stop in less than two minutes, and if he went back in he’d probably have to wait another half hour for the next bus to come. Whatever, if he really was getting sick he’d just ask Matt to go grab him some things later. His brother could never say no when it came to taking care of Jared.

So he got on the bus. As he made his way down the aisle looking for an open row, his head suddenly felt like it was floating up off his neck. He fumbled for something to grab so he could keep his balance, but then his legs decided to get in on the action and turn to jello. He stumbled, black spots forming in his vision before he passed out completely.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jared woke to all the cliché things one would expect to experience in a hospital: the smell of disinfectant; bland beige walls with one random ugly abstract art print hanging up; the steady beeping of some kind of monitor; and the telltale pinch of an IV in the crook of his arm. He glanced around the room, thankful that the fluorescent overhead light was turned off. There were three other beds in his room, all empty, and Matt was slouched in a chair next to his bed, obviously asleep. By the late-afternoon light pouring through the window and the fact that his brother didn’t look particularly haggard, Jared assumed he’d been here at most a few hours.

“Matt,” he whispered. He didn’t know why he was whispering. There was no one else in the room. Hospitals just had that effect on people, Jared thought. “Matt,” he tried again, this time at a more normal volume. His brother blinked awake, looking around for a second before focusing on Jared.

“Jay! Thank god. You okay?” Matt asked, leaning forward and gripping Jared’s forearm.

“I guess? Um, I’m not sure what happened. Wait, how’d you know I was here?” Actually, Jared felt better than okay. For the first time in weeks, he felt legitimately rested. Honestly, he hadn’t truly realized how bad he’d been feeling lately until he suddenly _didn’t_ feel shitty anymore.

“You fainted on the bus,” Matt said, and yeah. Jared definitely remembered that part. “It was just pure dumb luck that my friend Andrea was there. Do you remember her from my birthday last year? Anyways, she recognized you and called me when everything happened.”

“Oh. That was…serendipitous, I guess?” Jared replied, causing Matt to snort in amusement.

“Yeah, something like that. Anyways, the doctor didn’t tell me much, just that you were dehydrated and probably exhausted but you’d be fine. Probably can go home tonight.”

“Huh.” Jared didn’t know what to say. He figured he really was getting sick like he’d thought earlier, and that combined with the few extra drinks he’d been having the last few weeks was the issue. Besides, what the hell else could it be?

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

“You’re pregnant.”

Jared blinked twice then opened his mouth and laughed. “That’s hilarious, doc. But seriously, what is it? The flu? Bronchitis? Although I haven’t been coughing or anything lately so I don’t think—”

“ _Jared_ ,” the ER doctor—Dr. Friedrick, that was his name—interrupted. “I’m not joking. You really are pregnant.”

Jared blinked again. He didn’t laugh this time. “Okay, except that’s impossible. I’ve never, you know, had sex.” It was the doctor’s turn to blink in confusion.

“Are…are you sure…?”

“Well I didn’t slip and fall onto someone, if that’s what you’re asking,” Jared said. “I’m pretty sure I’d know if someone had been messing around down there…” He trailed off then, remembering that someone _had_ been messing around down there, just not for sexy reasons.

“What is it, Jay?” Matt asked.

“Um, well I saw the gynecologist a few weeks ago. But it was just supposed to be a standard check!”

“Okay, well do you remember anything unusual about the appointment?” Dr. Friedrick asked.

“Um. I don’t know? I was really freaking tired because it was finals week and I kind of, uh, fell asleep during the exam.”

“Oh my god, Jared,” Matt said, dropping his face into his hands. “You seriously fell asleep?”

“I’d slept like two hours the night before!” Jared replied indignantly.

“All right, I’m going to need the information about that clinic and doctor so I can follow up on this,” Dr. Friedrick said. “But regardless, Jared. You _are_ pregnant. So until we get this all sorted out, I’d like you to follow standard prenatal procedures. Vitamins, a follow-up appointment in four weeks, and I’ll give you a list of foods to avoid. If you want to talk about alternative courses of action—”

“Hang on, just. Hang on a second,” Jared interrupted. He could barely wrap his head around this new information, so there was no way he could consider alternative courses of action. Not yet, at least. “Just. Um. Yeah, just give me the info. I’ll make another appointment for next month.”

The doctor nodded curtly and began scribbling on his notepad. Jared laid back and closed his eyes. _I’m pregnant_ , he thought. _I’m pregnant_. He repeated it over and over, wondering when it would feel real. _I’m pregnant and I’ve never had sex. This is so not fucking fair!_

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

It was the next day when Jared got the call. He’d been hoping that this was all, somehow, some way, just one big massive fuck up. The call ended that hope.

“We’re sorry, sir. We have confirmed that on May 3rd, a mistake at the Saint Luke’s Clinic resulted in you being artificially inseminated. We are still investigating how this happened, but at this point we don’t have any further answers for you. I’m very sorry.” Jared swallowed thickly, not knowing how to respond. This was the first time since he’d been told he was pregnant that it all felt so very real.

“Can you…um. Who is the other father?” he finally choked out.

“His name is Jensen Ackles. We will be calling him shortly to inform him of this unforeseen turn of events.”

“Right. Okay.” Jared breathed out a heavy sigh, relieved that he at least would not have to be the one to reveal such life-altering news to a complete stranger. But still… “Could you please give him my contact information? Considering the circumstances, I think it might be a good idea for us to, uh, discuss everything.”

“Of course, sir,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “We will contact you with any follow-up information we obtain.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Jared ended the call, suddenly feeling like he’d been strung up by his heels and left to hang for days.

“Matt. Matt!” he called, and his brother came rushing into the living room looking alarmed.

“Jay! What’s wrong?”

Jared looked at his brother, his face crumpling in anguish. “Oh god, I’m pregnant.”

“Jesus, Jared, I’m so sorry,” Matt murmured, enveloping Jared in a bear hug. It was all Jared could do to just hold on.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jared tried to ignore his new reality as well as he could. Apart from taking prenatal vitamins every morning, he went about his day as if nothing had changed.

He met up with his friends Daniel and Kaia for drinks on Saturday night, ordering a tonic with lime and not correcting their assumption that there was vodka in his glass as well. He spent most evenings hanging out with Matt, playing Call of Duty or Guitar Hero or watching cheesy 80s horror flicks. He had a few phone interviews with various architectural firms throughout Austin, and pretended that he was a very normal almost-25-year-old new graduate and that getting his first adult job was the most exciting thing currently happening in his life.

He steadfastly refused to think about this Jensen guy who supposedly had had Jared’s contact info for nearly three weeks now but still hadn’t called or texted or even emailed. Jared definitely didn’t think about calling the clinic to get Jensen’s info for himself. But mostly, Jared did his damnedest not to think about the future further out than what kind of cereal he’d eat for breakfast tomorrow morning. Jared ignored it all as stubbornly as possible, no matter how many therapists Matt recommended or how many reminder texts he got from the hospital to make a follow-up appointment with Dr. Friedrick.

So of course, the one thing that finally slammed Jared back to Earth was the one thing he honestly hadn’t been expecting.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

The unknown phone number flashing on his screen had a 512 area code, which meant it was a local number. Jared assumed it was from one of the firms he’d applied to recently, so he answered it without much thought.

“Hello?”

“Hi, uh…” the voice on the phone would have been whiskey-smooth if it wasn’t for the hesitancy Jared could clearly make out. “Um, could I speak with Jared Padalecki please?”

“This is he,” Jared replied automatically, before realizing with surprise that the voice had pronounced his last name correctly.

“Oh. Hi. This is Jensen Ackles? From, uh, Saint Luke’s?” Jared froze. He knew that name. How could he not know that name? That name changed his life.

“I know who you are,” he finally said when the silence on the phone had become uncomfortable. “I honestly wasn’t sure you were going to call.”

“Yeah,” Jensen choked out. His voice held an edge of hysteria and yep, Jared knew that feeling all too well. “I just kind of needed to wrap my head around this whole thing.”

“You’re tellin’ me,” Jared muttered. Jensen wasn’t the one who had a surprise baby growing inside of him, after all.

“God, I can’t even imagine what this is like for you,” Jensen said. He sounded so earnestly sympathetic that Jared felt himself getting a little choked up.

“I’ve kind of been ignoring it for the most part,” he replied honestly. “I know I won’t be able to forever, but…”

“I understand.” Jensen’s voice was soft and comforting and it did nothing to help calm the emotions rising in Jared, threatening to overwhelm him.

“I’m sorry, I need to—I need to go. Did you…”

“Yeah. I mean, I was wondering if we could meet up somewhere and talk some more?” Jensen supplied once it was obvious Jared couldn’t get anything more out.

“Sure. Just text me, okay? I’m sorry, I have to—sorry. Bye.” Jared felt like a grade-A asshole hanging up on Jensen, but tears were already pouring down his face as his chest constricted in panic. Apparently, his time for avoiding everything had finally run out.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Once Jared had finished freaking out (all four times) and had calmed down enough for his higher brain functions to kick back in, he texted Jensen asking when and where he wanted to meet. They finally agreed on Sunday afternoon at Mayfield Park. Jensen had originally suggested a coffee shop, but Jared nearly had a fifth panic attack at the idea of strangers accidentally overhearing what was bound to be the most awkward conversation of his life.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Matt asked, once Jared had relayed the plans along with his newfound not-quite-acceptance-but-at-least-acknowledgement of his new reality.

“I don’t wanna freak him out. You can be kind of intimidating when you’re acting like my guard dog,” Jared said. Matt was twelve years older than Jared and had raised him when their parents had died when Jared was barely ten years old. Plus, Matt had four inches on Jared, which meant he was well over six and a half feet tall and didn’t exactly skip weight training days in the gym. So saying Matt looked intimidating when he was being protective of Jared was a vast understatement.

“Jay, you don’t know the guy,” Matt argued. “What if he…”

“What? What if he hatches an evil scheme to knock me up without me knowing? Oh, _wait_.” Jared laid the sarcasm on thick. Matt rolled his eyes.

“That’s not what I mean. But he’s a stranger, you don’t know for sure what could happen. He could be dangerous.”

“Matt, we’re meeting at the park on a Sunday afternoon, not a back alley downtown at three in the morning.”

“Fine. How about I come but stay out of your way? If not for your peace of mind, at least mine?” Matt pleaded. Jared sighed but acquiesced. Besides, Matt had a point. Jensen sounded pretty harmless, but as an octogenarian doctor recently proved to Jared, looks could be deceiving and even people who meant well could fuck you up pretty badly.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Growing up, Jared had always wanted a dog. His parents had told him that when Jared was old enough to take care of the dog himself, they would get him one. Unfortunately, they died before then and when Jared moved in with his brother in the small two-bedroom apartment downtown, there just wasn’t enough room.

While in college, Jared had started volunteering at one of the local shelters whenever he had some spare time. It was therapeutic for him, to be reminded that the world still kept right on spinning regardless of what drama was happening in Jared’s own little bubble.

Now, it had been a good two months since Jared had been by. But the day before he was due to meet Jensen, Jared’s nerves were going haywire and he needed to do something—anything—to get out of his own head. So after an early lunch, Jared headed out for the two-and-a-half-mile trek to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The walk was quiet and easy, meandering through side streets downtown. Plus, it gave Jared a little bit of time to clear his head before reaching his destination.

When he walked in, Katie was in her usual spot behind the front desk. She was the only full-time employee besides the owners, and it was comforting to Jared that some things had stayed exactly the same over the last eight weeks.

“Jared!” Katie said, looking surprised but pleased. “It’s good to see you! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

“Almost two months,” Jared replied, ambling over to the desk. “How are you?”

“Doing good, just chugging along. So you graduated, right? Congratulations, that’s awesome!”

“Thanks,” Jared said, unable to hold back a grin. With the news of the pregnancy overshadowing pretty much everything else currently happening in his life, Jared had almost forgotten to be excited about what an accomplishment getting his master’s degree was. “So, need any help today?”

“Of course,” Katie snorted. "We just got a litter of puppies brought in yesterday. The person who brought them had found them abandoned behind a gas station a few miles out of town.”

“Damn,” Jared whistled, not understanding how anyone could ever abandon their pets like that.

“They're all doing okay, just a little malnourished, but they’re a pretty rambunctious group. And they’re gonna be _big_. We think they are Husky/Malamute mixes.” Jared’s heart lurched just a little at that. He was especially a sucker for big, loud dogs. “Why don’t you go on back to the office?” Katie continued. “Laura can let you know what needs to be taken care of.”

“Okay. Good to see you, Katie,” Jared said, waving at the girl before heading down the hall towards the back of the building.

Laura and her husband owned the animal shelter. She was a certified veterinarian and had bought the shelter a year after finishing vet school with the inheritance she’d received from her grandparents. Her husband, Timothy, handled the financial aspects of the business, so Jared didn’t see him much. Laura was the same age as Matt, and as Jared had worked with her and gotten to know her better, she’d become like a big sister to him. Sometimes it was easier to talk to Laura about certain things than Matt, since she was usually more removed from the situation and could look at everything more objectively. Also, she was wicked smart, and from the stories she'd told Jared about her misspent youth, she’d made enough dumb choices and mistakes growing up to now have a plethora of good advice.

So Jared shouldn’t have been surprised when, less than thirty seconds after walking into Laura’s office and hugging her hello, he’d blurted out, “I’m pregnant.” Her pen froze, hovering above the stack of papers she’d been annotating.

“I’m sorry, you’re _what_?” she asked, looking up sharply.

“I’m fucking pregnant, and it’s such a fucking mess!” Jared proceeded to fill her in on the whole sordid story, Laura’s jaw dropping more and more in surprise by the minute. When he was finished, the silence in the small office was deafening.

“God, Jared,” Laura said, pushing back from her desk and walking around to envelop Jared in a second hug. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“I’m dealing,” Jared mumbled, finally pulling out of the hug. “Actually, I’m meeting the guy—Jensen—tomorrow. This was just as much of a shock for him as it was for me. Well, apart from the whole ‘he’s not the one who’s pregnant’ thing.”

“Wait. If it was a sperm bank, why would he be surprised? Why would he be even be told? Isn’t that usually anonymous?” Laura asked, sinking down onto the small couch pushed against the wall next to the desk.

“I guess he didn’t donate or sell sperm, he was paying to keep it there to potentially use at a later date? I don’t know the whole story yet, obviously, just that he was using it for storage or whatever.” Jared paced back and forth across the few feet of open space. “I’m really nervous about tomorrow, because…”

“What, Jared? I mean, I understand why that would be nerve-wracking, but I’m assuming Matt refused to let you go alone?” Jared nodded. “So what are you worried about?”

Jared stopped pacing suddenly and dropped onto the sofa next to Laura. “What if he doesn’t want it? What if he asks me to get rid of it? Jesus, Laura, this is such a crazy situation but now that it’s happening…I’m already attached to this baby.” Laura sucked in a deep breath.

“Jared, look at me.” Jared dragged his eyes up to meet her gaze. “I have a feeling he’s not going to do that, but even if he asks, it’s still your choice, okay? And obviously I’ll support you in any way I can. I know what it’s like to get pregnant sort of young, I’ve been there.”

“Yeah, but you had a husband who was happy about it, even if it wasn’t planned,” Jared pointed out.

“True. But how do you know this Jensen guy won’t be happy about it, once everyone gets past the initial shock?”

Jared shrugged. “Stop calming me down with all your logic and stuff,” he said, bumping their shoulders together affectionately. “Actually, what I really want right now is a distraction. And I heard you just got some new puppies in?”

Laura laughed. “You’re so predictable. Yeah, I’ll take you to them. They are crazy and full of energy so if you could just take them out back and play with them for a few hours, they might actually get tired enough to nap later this afternoon.” They stood and Jared followed Laura out of the office and across the hall to the kennel room.

“Just do me a favor, Jared,” Laura said before letting Jared inside.

“What’s that?”

“Let me know which one you want to adopt at soon as possible.”

“I’m not—” Jared started to deny, but was silenced by Laura’s pointedly knowing look. “Yeah, okay,” he said with a chuckle, then followed after her to immerse himself in welcoming barks and tail wags and slobbering dog kisses.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Upon seeing Jensen for the first time, Jared immediately changed his mind. Jensen was going to be dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

After talking with Jensen for five minutes, Jared revised his position on Jensen being dangerous.

Jared was, in fact, quite sure Jensen would be the death of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Anna from the future here (specifically Jan 30, 2021). Just wanted to let you know that I _finally_ started working on the rest of this story a few days ago, and I'm hoping to get chapter two up within the next week. Also, I've gone back and edited chapter one for grammar and clarity, and I made Jared two years older. Okay, that's all, please come back for the next chapter very soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh I'm so happy to be back and posting another chapter!
> 
> Hope everyone's 2021 sucks less than last year did.

Jensen got out of his car slowly, looking around before shutting the door. He headed toward the path that cut through the lush grass of the park and wound down the hill through the trees. He was pretty sure that was the direction where he’d agreed to meet Jared.

It only took him a few minutes of meandering down the path—and yes, he was definitely stalling, because this was the most anxiety-inducing situation he’d ever been in—before a bench came into view. He could see the back of a fairly tall guy wearing a bright pink tee shirt.

As Jensen got closer, he noticed more details. Shaggy brown hair, bronze skin, lanky limbs but impressively broad shoulders, like he hadn’t quite grown into his height yet. And hands that were drumming anxiously against his thighs. It was these last two observations that made Jensen start to realize just how young Jared was. Sure, he understood that 24 was still kind of young in an abstract sense, but Jensen had only just turned 29. They didn’t seem  _ that  _ far separated in age. But as he started to see Jared in profile with all of his restless movements,  _ kid _ was the description that came to mind.  _ He’s still just a kid. Jesus. _

“Jared?” Jensen asked softly, hoping not to startle him too much. Jared jumped in his seat anyway, head whipping around to look at Jensen with eyes as big as saucers.

“Yeah,” Jared answered, choking on the reply. He cleared his throat. “Yeah. That’s me. Hi.” His hand drifted up in an awkward little half wave. It was the cutest damn thing Jensen had ever seen.

“Hey,” Jensen said, trying not to blush. “Uh…mind if I sit?” He nodded his head to where Jared’s backpack was sitting next to him, and Jared flushed as he fumbled it off the bench and onto the ground at his feet.

“Yeah, yes. I mean, I was saving this seat for you.” Jared looked away as his cheeks grew even pinker. 

_ Oh, god, _ Jensen though,  _ if I don’t break this kid, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna break me. _ But Jensen just shook that image out of his head and moved over to sit beside Jared. They both stared forward, Jared’s fingers picking up his anxious tapping again as Jensen tried to settle his own nerves.

They sat there in awkward silence for a few minutes, which felt more like a few years to Jensen.

“So…” he said when it became obvious Jared wasn’t going to start the conversation. Jensen trailed off, not knowing what to say. Finally, he huffed out a breath and decided to put all his cards on the table.

“Okay, obviously this is a fucked up situation and I’m still in shock, which I can only imagine you are too. Not that I have any idea what you’re going through, of course,” Jensen added hastily. He knew that however much he felt like he’d been punched in the gut when he’d gotten the news, Jared without question still had the shittier end of the deal. “I don’t really know what to say but I know that we need to talk about stuff. Also, I’d like to get to know you more, seeing as you’re going to be the other father of my child.” Jensen took a deep breath, surprised with himself that he’d managed to say all that. And then, a really terrible thought hit him. “Unless…”

“Unless what?” Jared asked, finally turning towards Jensen.

“I guess I’d just assumed, but I shouldn’t have, but the thought honestly hadn’t crossed my mind until just now—”

“Jensen.”

“—and I totally understand if you decide that. I mean, I understand in the theoretical sense, but I’d be disappointed and I can’t honestly say that I wouldn’t talk to you about it more to hopefully maybe change your mind—”

“Jensen!”

“What?” Jensen asked, breaking out of his rambling. “Oh. Sorry.” Jared snorted, and Jensen swore he almost saw a smile for a split second.

“Were you trying to ask me if I wanted to...go through with the pregnancy?” Jared asked, and Jensen got the feeling he was trying to be delicate with his words. Which perhaps wasn’t a great sign.

“Something like that,” Jensen replied, staring down at his lap. “When I got the news, my mind went straight to ‘how are we gonna make this work?’ Well, first it went to ‘holy shit,  _ holy shit _ ’, and then it went to the other thing. I guess I kind of skipped over the whole ‘maybe Jared wants to get an abortion'—”

“Well I don’t,” Jared cut in sharply. He sighed loudly. “I don’t want to do that. I wanna keep it. I wasn’t sure if you would want to be, you know, involved, but yeah. I was going to keep it either way. Although…” Jensen finally looked up and was surprised to see tear tracks lining Jared’s cheeks.

“What?” Jensen prodded gently.

“I’m just really glad that you want to do this. Because I don’t have any idea how to do this, Jensen! I just graduated college and I don’t even have a job yet and honestly, two months ago I was just trying to figure out if I’d be ready to take care of a dog soon! Not a freaking baby!” Jensen froze at Jared’s outburst and subsequent meltdown, then shook himself out of his shock and reached over to pat Jared gently on the shoulder. 

It seemed like that small act of comfort made whatever dam Jared had been using to guard himself burst, because he practically collapsed onto Jensen’s chest, his face hiding in the crook of Jensen’s neck. Jensen could immediately feel the hot tears wetting his neck and soaking the collar of his shirt. His arms seemed to have a mind of their own, because before the neurons could finish firing in his brain he was wrapped around Jared in a bear hug.

Jensen didn’t bother telling Jared not to cry, that everything would be okay. Frankly, he couldn’t honestly say that, and he didn’t want to lie to Jared. Besides, Jared had absolutely every single right to be as upset as he wanted to about the situation. Jensen was just glad that Jared wasn’t upset enough to end the pregnancy. So he spent the next 10 minutes comforting the kid as best as he knew how before Jared’s tears slowed and he lifted his face from its hiding place against Jensen.

“Thanks,” Jared sniffed. “Sor—”

“Don’t apologize,” Jensen interrupted. “ _ Never _ apologize for this.” He smiled tentatively, hoping Jared understood he wasn’t mad, that Jared had every right to freak out as much as he just did. Jared looked at him for a long moment, and Jensen had the acute feeling that he was being studied. Finally, Jared nodded sharply and looked away, but Jensen could see his lips curving up in a smile.

_ Okay _ , Jensen thought,  _ I think this might actually turn out okay. _

They spent the next two hours talking. They left most of the really heavy stuff—stuff that Jensen knew would be necessary to discuss sooner rather than later—for another time. Instead, they got to know each other, the basics. Things that you’d find out over the course of a few months with a new friend. Actually, it kind of felt like a first date to Jensen, apart from pretty much everything else about the situation. He found out that Jared had just finished his master’s degree and was planning on accepting a job offer at a small architecture firm tomorrow. Jared told him excitedly about the job and the company, a small local one that the owner had only opened a few years ago but already had an impressively growing client list. The business was located in the heart of downtown, which Jared was also happy about because that meant he could walk to work. But he was also worried about the owner would react to finding out her brand new employee was pregnant.

As Jensen listened to Jared ramble on about his career aspirations and apprehensions, and then about the animal shelter he volunteered at and the puppy he’d fallen in love with and hoped to adopt, and then about some ridiculous story that involved Jared and two of his friends getting drunk and embarrassing themselves the night of their graduation, Jensen couldn’t help but think over and over how damn cute Jared was.

Eventually, the conversation shifted to Jensen, and he told Jared about his job as an accountant—which he enjoyed but didn’t love—and that he’d always wanted to be a musician and he regularly played at one of the small jazz clubs downtown. He told Jared about how his father had always wanted him to become a doctor, just like all the men in Jensen’s family before him. How becoming a CPA had disappointed his father even more than when he’d come out to his parents on his twenty-first birthday. He told Jared that he secretly wished he had more friends, that sometimes he got lonely because his two best friends had moved in together and then moved away to New Orleans together three years ago. He told Jared that he’d always wanted a dog as well, but he could never keep his house plants alive so he wasn’t sure how he’d do with a pet.

Over the course of two hours, Jensen began to piece together the puzzle that was the person sitting beside him, and he had to admit that he really  _ really  _ liked the picture that was forming. He could only hope that Jared felt the same way about him.

Before they parted, Jared hesitantly asked Jensen if he wanted to accompany him to the check-up he had scheduled for Tuesday with the obstetrician. Jensen’s heart leapt at the invitation, at the fact that Jared seemed comfortable enough with Jensen to invite him to such an important—and intimate—event. So he agreed with enthusiasm, and opened the calendar on his phone to put in all the information. Finally he stood up, ready to leave yet wishing they could stay there all day. Jared stood as well, wrapping Jensen in a hug before Jensen had time to blink. It was over too soon, and he said one final goodbye before heading back up the path that would lead him to his car. Before he went over the crest of the hill, he turned back for one last look. Jared was still standing, now talking to someone that Jensen didn’t know. The guy was even taller than Jared, and built like he could take down a brick house. Jensen felt a pang in his chest, and it wasn’t until he was in his car sitting at a stoplight that he realized it had been a pang of jealousy.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

All day Monday, Jensen felt like he was floating on a cloud. He spilled coffee on his shirt, the copier got jammed, the cafe he always went to for lunch was out of his favorite panini, and there was a massive traffic jam on his way home due to roadwork. But tomorrow he was getting to accompany Jared to the first check-up for their baby—god,  _ their baby! _ —so nothing could ruin his good mood.

Except, apparently, a surprise visit from his ex.

Jensen was in the middle of fixing dinner, humming along to the radio when he heard a knock on his front door. He quickly stuck his lasagne in the oven and set the timer before heading into the living room. He didn’t check the peephole before opening the door, which was his first mistake.

Jensen swung the door open then froze when he saw who was standing on his front porch.

“Hey, Jenny,” the man said, words dripping with saccharine sweetness. He looked at Jensen, eyebrows raised expectantly like Jensen owed him something in return.

“Evan.” The name was sharp between Jensen’s clenched teeth. He hadn’t seen his ex-fiance in almost four months, and he liked it just fine that way.

“Well, aren’t you going to let me in?” Evan simpered. It wasn’t a good sound for him.

“Why?”

“Because it’s the polite thing to do.”

“No, I mean  _ why are you here _ , Evan?” Jensen asked, not bothering to hide his burgeoning annoyance. This was Jensen’s second mistake. He should have just shut the door in Evan’s face, not even giving him a chance to draw Jensen into any sort of conversation or argument.

Evan sighed, his expression morphing from self-satisfied to troubled. “I really need to speak with you, Jensen. It’s  _ important _ .” It was Jensen’s turn to sigh, and he added in an eye roll for good measure, but he backed into the foyer and motioned for Evan to come inside.

This was Jensen’s third mistake.

Jensen led them to the kitchen, pulling out his coffee beans and loading up the machine. No, he wasn’t happy that Evan was here, but he’d invited him inside nonetheless, so he figured the least he could do was not be a complete dick.

“Okay, what’s up?” Jensen asked, not interested in beating around the bush. Evan didn’t waste any time.

“I’m pregnant.” Jensen froze at those words. There was no way…

And then he inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. It’d been almost two years since he’d had the treatment that had caused his cancer to go into remission while also leaving him infertile. There was, quite literally, _no_ _way_ that was possible.

“That’s not possible.”

At that, Evan looked sheepish. “Yeah, about that…”

“Spit it out, Evan. You know I can’t have kids. So unless you somehow got ahold of my sperm and took a turkey baster to your asshole, you’re lying.” Jensen had only said it jokingly, an offhand comment because obviously his mind had been preoccupied lately with what had happened to Jared. So it took Jensen a full minute to recognize that Evan’s expression had morphed from sheepish to full-on shameful.

“ _ No… _ ”

“Jensen—”

“No. NO. You—you wouldn’t. That...I know you, Evan, and I know it ended badly between us but even  _ you  _ aren’t that much of a piece of shit!” Evan flinched at Jensen’s outburst, and Jensen knew in that moment that this was actually happening to him. “You son of a bitch,” he hissed.

“I’m sorry, Jensen! I’m so sorry. I just, I heard about what happened with the other guy, the accident at the clinic, and it made me so mad and sad and hell,  _ jealous _ . So I got drunk and then went over there and got the second vial and just...I’m sorry.”

“That’s not any of your business! We’ve been separated for almost half a year!” Jensen’s whirlwind of emotions ground to a sudden halt. “ _ Wait _ . How exactly did you find out about the thing with the clinic?” Jensen knew his voice had gone quiet yet sharp as a razor blade. It suddenly felt like everything hung in the balance of Evan’s reply.

“When you stored your sperm two years ago, we were still together. You added my name to the...the documents, or whatever. Just in case, I guess. And they notified me after what happened because apparently my name was still listed. I guess you forgot to call and have me removed after we broke up.”

And there was Jensen’s fourth mistake.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Jensen didn’t sleep that night. He called in sick to work the next day, and spent the better part of the morning lying in bed, staring blankly up at his ceiling. The check-up with Jared was at one. He needed to get up and shower, maybe try to choke some food down.

But how the hell could he go there, just show up and act like nothing was wrong, that he was excited to find out how his baby was doing, that so far this unfortunate situation was only showing silver linings? How was he supposed to act like that when his ex-fiance had decided that he deserved to have one of Jensen’s babies as well? 

Because there was no way he would lie to Jared. Jared deserved the moon and the stars and everything in between, not to be tied forever to someone that had a psychotic ex and enough emotional baggage to sink the Titanic, no iceberg required.

But there was no way Jensen could tell Jared today. Today was supposed to be a happy day.

Jensen took a few deep breaths before dragging himself out of bed and into the shower. He let the hot water wash over him, waking him up and settling his thoughts.  _ I will tell Jared once I have definitive proof Evan is telling the truth _ , Jensen decided. Before yesterday, he could have never imagined Evan lying about something this life-changing.  _ He lied about cheating on you _ , a voice in the back of Jensen’s head hissed.  _ He lied about loving you. He lied about being out of the closet _ . Jensen pounded his fist against the tile, the sharp burst of pain focusing his thoughts. Yes, Evan had lied about those things. And if Evan could steal Jensen’s fucking sperm—or lie about stealing it, if that was the case—then he could sure as hell lie about being pregnant.

So no, Jensen wasn’t going to fuck up Jared’s world even more until he had undeniable, cold hard evidence.

He finished showering quickly, glancing at the clock while he was getting dressed to see he only had half an hour before he was supposed to be at the doctor’s. He skipped the kitchen, heading straight to his car because he absolutely was not going to be late today.

As Jensen drove, he rolled down the windows and let the wind whip through the car, clearing his mind. By the time he got to the doctor’s office, he was finally starting to get excited about the appointment again. Would he get to hear the baby’s heartbeat today? Would the baby look like anything when the doctor did a sonogram? Would Jared and the baby be healthy?

He jogged across the parking lot and pulled the front door to the building open a little too enthusiastically, causing some of the people in the waiting room to turn their heads and look at him. He smiled apologetically and looked around the room for Jared. A moment later, he felt a tap on his shoulder right before Jared stepped up beside him.

“So…” Jared said, sounding hesitant, exactly how he’d sounded the first few minutes of their meeting at the park.

“You ready?” Jensen asked, turning and smiling at his...his Jared. Who was absolutely glowing. “Wow,” Jensen breathed out.

“What?” Jared asked, running one hand through his hair while the other patted the front of his shirt. “What’s wrong?” he asked, started to sound a bit panicked.

“Nothing, Jared,” Jensen chuckled, grabbing Jared’s hands gently and spinning the kid to face him fully. “You’re fine. You just…” he paused, coughing a bit in embarrassment before continuing. “You know how people always talk about the pregnancy glow?”

“Yeah…?”

“Man, you’ve got it like crazy.” Jared blushed, pulling his hands back.

“We should check in,” he muttered, but Jensen could see a flash of smile before Jared was walking towards the front desk. Jensen practically skipped to catch up with him. He was kind of already halfway in love with Jared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to change this story from three chapters to four so that I could have two chapters from Jared's POV and two from Jensen's. Thanks for sticking with me!


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